One of the most commonly used drill bits to drill through metal is a twist drill formed with a chisel edge at the working end of the drill bit. The chisel edge is formed perpendicular to the axis of the drill bit and usually extends across a small portion of the drill bit diameter. Also, the chisel edge extends equally on opposite sides of the drill bit axis. A cutting edge extends from each opposite end of the chisel edge and tapers axially rearward to the outer periphery of the drill bit diameter. In use, the chisel edge is the first portion of the drill bit to engage a workpiece. The chisel edge engages the workpiece and literally works and extrudes the material in the immediate vicinity rather than forming chips, swarf, sawdust and the like for extraction. The worked material enables the drill bit to begin to move into the material of the workpiece whereby the cutting edges begin to cut the material to form removable chips which are discharged via helical flutes running axially rearward from the chisel edge and the cutting edges.
While a drill bit with a chisel edge is satisfactory for some drilling operations, it does not provide holes with accurately located centers or round holes. For example, it tends to “skip” away from the desired location of the hole as the rotating chisel edge engages the workpiece. Further, any out-of-round characteristic of the drill bit or the tool holder connected to the shank of the drill bit is transmitted to the working end while drilling the hole. In addition, a drill bit with a chisel edge typically has a relatively large core, or web, which is slightly less than the length of the chisel edge. Drill bits with a large web require significant thrust in order to urge the drill bit into the workpiece. A larger web also limits the effective space for chip removal through the helical flutes, the radial depth of which is determined by the web thickness.
Patent publication No. EP0315643 discloses a drill bit having a pilot tip which extends axially ahead of an outer cutting portion. The pilot tip has a smaller diameter than the outer cutting portion. In use, the pilot tip cuts a pilot hole which self-centers the drill bit. Next, the outer cutting portion cuts a main hole in the workpiece which corresponds to the diameter of the drill bit.
A drill bit sold by the Applicant under the registered trade mark EXTREME DEWALT™ (hereinafter referred to as the prior art drill bit) also has a pilot tip which extends axially ahead of an outer cutting portion. The pilot tip has a “split point” cutting edge arrangement to cut the self-centering pilot hole and the outer cutting portion has a pair of major cutting edges arranged on opposite sides of the axis to cut the primary hole. The split point has two inner minor cutting edges arranged on opposite sides of the axis. The two inner minor cutting edges are spaced apart and connected at the extreme tip of the split point by a slight chisel edge. The split point also has an outer minor cutting edge that extends from the end of each inner minor cutting edge and tapers axially rearward to the outer periphery of the pilot tip. In use, the two inner minor cutting edges engage a workpiece to initiate the drilling operation slightly in advance of the engagement of the workpiece by the outer minor cuffing edges. The chisel edge does not work or extrude the material in its immediate vicinity, like in the case of the common twist drill mentioned above, because the chisel edge is insignificantly small. The chips created by the inner and the outer minor cutting edges are separate from each other and are therefore smaller in size.
Once the pilot tip begins drilling the self-centering pilot hole, the major cutting edges of the outer cutting portion engage the workpiece and create chips which are also separate from those created by the minor cutting edges of the pilot tip. This arrangement produces smaller chips during the drilling operation which, in turn, reduces resistance to the passage of the drill bit through the workpiece as the drilling process progresses. The drill bit has debris channels in the form of a pair of helical flutes to transport the chips away from the cutting edges and out of the hole being drilled in the workpiece. Smaller chips are naturally easier to convey along the flutes and are less likely to clog up the flutes. A clogged flute creates the problem of significantly increased resistance to the passage of the drill bit through the workpiece. Deeper flutes transport such chips and other debris more easily and are less prone to clogging. However, deeper flutes also result in a thinner web that reduces the strength of the dill bit. A compromise is met by a web that tapers radially outwardly and axially rearward from the pilot tip of the working end towards the drill bit shank. This provides deeper flutes in the region of the working end where efficient debris removal is most important. Also, it provides a thicker web towards the shank where robustness is important. The prior art drill bit has a tapering web with a thickness increasing from the tip portion to the shank portion at a uniform taper rate.